1. Technical Field
The claimed subject matter relates generally to computing systems and, more specifically, to a method for ordering items displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI).
2. Description of the Related Art
When computers were first invented, instructions, or programs, and data were entered manually via a series of switches. Soon, program and data entry was performed either by means of punch cards or keyboards coupled to the computing devices. Certainly, one of the primary advances in the computing arts has been the introduction of the graphical user interface (GUI). A GUI enables a user to enter data and commands and to execute programs by means of a keyboard and a computer mouse. In addition, a GUI enables a user to display information, generated by many types of programs, on a computer screen in a variety of formats, depending upon the needs of the user.
The Windows operating system (OS), published by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., is one example of a GUI that enables users to display information from different types of programs in a variety of formats. Some types of programs that display information include, but are not limited to, word processing programs and spreadsheets. In Windows, a display, or “desktop,” includes icons for programs that are either executing or may be executed and graphical displays, or “windows,” for programs that are active. Individual files associated with a particular program may also be displayed as icons and lists within a window.
Lists of information, files and icons displayed in conjunction with a particular application are typically arranged is some order that is determined by an underlying computer measurement. For example, a list of data, files in a directory or icons in a window may be sorted alphabetically, by name, by type, size or a date and time such as the data and time each item in the list, file or icon was last accessed or modified. The underlying computer measurements corresponding to a sorting scheme may not be a natural or intuitive method for a user, particularly a user who is not an experienced computer user.